Flogging Molly and Donots continue to make a splash aAnn

By Gloria Gaona-Hernandez

On March 7 the House of Blues hosted the pop punk rock bands Donots and Flogging Molly. Donots is a German punk band formed in 1992 that is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary.

However, Donots’ philosophy of being slackers only applies to its downtime. Touring with the likes of Iggy Pop and Green Day to releasing its ninth album, “Wake the Dogs,” last year proves they are anything but lazy. More than that, Donots has proven its lasting potential by ranking at No. 9 in Germany. Donots’ rare tour visit to the U.S. has been a worthwhile wait for many fans preparing to blast their ears out to their latest album.

“Wake the Dogs” is an album that showcases a mix between lyrically melodic songs with its ever-present hardcore pop rock trademark. Each of the Donot’s five members: Ingo, Guido, Jan-Dirk, Eike and Alex, is an original member who performs each instrument in synchronization.

Donots started off its tour in San Diego at the House of Blues as the opening act touring with the American-Irish band Flogging Molly.

Donots played songs off of its newest album. The lead singer Ingo involved the crowd by playing sing-a-long to verses within its head-pounding rock choruses. Despite the crowd being unfamiliar with Donots, they followed along the music. The live set was better than its album, living out the talent value of a true punk rock band.

The crowd rocked back and forth to the clear-cut electric guitars and the quick playing drums. As the sold out concert became rowdier, crowd surfers were taken out of the venue, but before their last song Ingo jumped onto the waving hands and tossed onto the stage.

By this time the crowd’s anticipation to hear the Flogging Molly could be felt throughout the venue and the atmosphere heightened with hoots and shouts. The lead singer Dave King acknowledged his and his band’s excitement to be in San Diego. They chose to play more of their older albums songs and a few of their new material.

The well-known Flogging Molly is a Celtic punk band originating from Los Angeles. This unique seven-piece band consists of lead singer Dave King, his wife on the violin Bridget Regan, Bob Schmidt on the banjo, Matt Hensley on the accordion, George Schwindt on the drums, Nathen Maxwell on bass guitar and Dennis Casey on electric and acoustic guitar. These instrumental qualifications are barely touching the surface on the unique amount of other instruments the members of Flogging Molly are capable of playing.

Flogging Molly began in 1997, yet it is still a band that mixes the instruments and style of the traditional Celtic culture with its own touch of punk rock. Its current album “With Speed of Darkness” is prevalent with its consistent effort to infuse its Irish culture with electric rock and the bands’ tendency toward social awareness.

Within the lyrics of each song of the album “With Speed of Darkness,” the fans will sense Flogging Molly’s message of intense hope and desire of change for the working class and inequality of the elite establishments. The band’s lyrics are a direct representation of its alertness to society’s needs. The members work with Oxfam, an international confederation working with 90 countries promoting the mobilization to end poverty and injustice through aid emergency delivery to climate change campaigns.

Flogging Molly’s unique style entailed speaking with the crowd with random jokes to hitting the good old album songs. From the fans to the forced boyfriend or girlfriend taken along for the show, one could honestly feel the general satisfaction of two good bands playing fierce rock music.